William Trent (Trenton)

William Trent (1653-25 December 1724) was a prominent trader and merchant in Pennsylvania and New Jersey who was the founder of the city of Trenton in 1719.

Biography
William Trent was born in Inverness, Scotland in 1653, and he emigrated to North America with his brother in 1693. They settled in Philadelphia, and he became a wealthy merchant trader, becoming one of the most affluent men in the city. In 1704, he was appointed to the Pennsylvania Provincial Council, and he served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1721 to 1724 (serving as its Speaker from 1723 to 1724). In 1719, he built a country house near the falls of the Delaware River, and it was named Trenton in his honor. He died in 1724 from a stroke.